As an optometrist, multi-location practice owner, consultant and co-founder of ODs on Finance—optometry’s largest financial platform—I’ve seen the AI revolution in optometry unfold in real time, and I’m quite familiar with AI’s strengths and limits in the profession. My hands-on experience integrating AI across patient communication, electronic health records, diagnostics and practice management gives me a unique vantage point on the profession’s trajectory.
AI at the Front Door
AI’s footprint is growing in every facet of optometry. On the business side, even routine patient-facing tools are now incorporating AI with tangible benefits—and for good reason. My team and I at Los Altos Optometric Group have introduced an AI-driven phone system to handle incoming calls, answering questions and booking appointments. This frees my staff to focus on patients in the clinic while ensuring callers get prompt, reliable responses.
In the exam room, I use Barti—AI-powered EHR and practice management software—to record and interpret patient interactions live. It can listen to you conduct your exam and fills out the patient’s chart for you live. With charting handled by AI, clinicians can devote their undivided attention to the patient rather than the paperwork.
Beyond simple charting, I’ve also tapped into AI diagnostics, feeding retinal photos, OCT scans, corneal topographies and autorefractor data into large language and vision models. I plug in data to see what kind of ortho lenses can be devised by AI, and it does a surprisingly good job. In my head-to-head tests, AI matches human recommendations and even flags subtle findings clinicians sometimes miss. I’ve seen a glaucoma study done where algorithms rank cup-to-disc ratios more consistently than any physician could. This is not a knock on providers—the machine simply has greater processing power.
Redefining ROI
Yet as AI grows more capable, there remain legitimate concerns around accuracy, data security and regulatory approval. Small errors or false positives occur with general-purpose models, and HIPAA compliance remains an ongoing issue. In my clinic, we use large language models for referral letters and patient communication, leaving out sensitive information and adding it in afterwards. Specialized programs—trained on optometric images and protected by stringent data controls—will change the game.
When advising practice owners on return on investment, I try to shift my focus from hardware purchases to payroll savings and operational efficiency. AI can reduce the manpower needed in your office, especially for routine tasks like appointment reminders, phone calls and referral letters can be entirely automated. Those efficiencies allow doctors to see more patients per hour—and in an increasingly crowded urban market, the most competitive practices will win out. With more optometrists entering the workforce than leaving, only practices that leverage AI will stay ahead.
I am far from fearing change. After all, fear will only make you less successful in the long run. The most successful cold starts I’ve worked with (through my consulting work via ODs on finance) have been those who embrace technology and have learned to scale by leveraging modern technology. With that being said, I urge every optometrist to experiment with ChatGPT, Gemini or any other AI tool to understand its strengths and limits. It’s not going away, so you should learn its benefits, master its boundaries and apply them to your career.
Embracing AI Without Losing the Human Touch
Despite rapid advances, I think AI will complement, not replace, the optometrist’s role. AI will never take over your job—you’re too specialized for that. What will change is the skillset required of tomorrow’s optometrists: proficiency in technology, data interpretation and patient communication, coupled with unwavering clinical judgment. AI just enhances every skill you have, allowing eye care professionals to deliver care that is more personalized, efficient and accessible than ever before.
In the coming years, success will go to those who master AI-driven workflows without sacrificing the human connection. I want to remind my peers that the heart of the profession is the one-on-one patient relationship—so innovate boldly but never lose your human touch.
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